Jamie Thomson, former Club Captain and Head Coach of Helston Athletic and owner of a thriving football coaching business, has agreed to join Mousehole AFC’s management and coaching team while also joining forces to merge his business with the Endorsed Academy, as the club looks to strengthen further its strategy to develop into the foremost football organisation in the region.
A well-respected figure in Cornish football, Thomson has a wealth of playing and coaching experience at this level, having been captain of the successful Helston Athletic team that won the South West Peninsula League West Division in 2014/15, and since gaining promotion to the Premier Division he has been their Club Captain and most recently Head Coach.
Thomson’s coaching business, now in operation for some ten years, involves simultaneous delivery of after-school clubs on most days of the week at various locations during term time, and during school holidays the emphasis turns to soccer camps. The business will be re-branded and developed under the umbrella of the Endorsed range of services that support Mousehole AFC, with the aim of increasing the number of participants, schools and projects, and widening the coverage of areas in Cornwall. With hundreds of children involved, there will be greatly improved opportunities to identify youngsters and provide a pathway to the Endorsed Academy’s age-group development squads at Mousehole, which themselves will increase in number as demand rises.
Cheltenham-born Thomson is excited for the future: “Having understood the vision and values here, I’m super-passionate about joining to help create a better future for the County’s young sportsmen and women. Combining forces with Endorsed, I can foresee the expansion of our current projects, including our hugely popular soccer camps – which are fun-based games and activities – but also the development of more specialised skills-focussed camps for youngsters with real potential and raw talent. I’m also aiming to bring to the club my experience as a player and an adults’ team coach, having played as a pro for Cheltenham Town and as a semi-pro around the Midlands before moving to Cornwall and playing for Porthleven, Falmouth and Helston. I feel I have a lot to offer…..and of course I’ve also had a taste of promotion success, just like Mousehole are aiming for.”
Speaking of Thomson’s appointment, Ezra Chapman, Chairman of the Endorsed Group and a former Mousehole AFC player and now Adviser to the club, added: “We collectively have a long-term vision for the sustainable development of the club while at the same time improving football coaching for the kids of Cornwall. Our focus on youth is absolutely key, so Jamie’s thinking and enterprise are very much in line with that. Jamie will extend our reach into new areas within the county, and also bring fresh knowledge, skills and business ideas to our talented leadership team, so I’m totally confident together we will produce tangible benefits for young footballers across the county.”
